Rotatable toothbrush



April 23,h 1929. y w. w. wem 1,710,525

ROTATABLE To'oTHBRUsH Filed Febe 16, 1925 I, l. 11111111111111111111Mwf'@ f Z2 Vf Z5 retiree nsf. 23, '1929.

unirse n STATES g 1,710,525 Partnr; ermee.

Witsen W. Wein, or Biiooxnrmivnw venir',

ROTATABLE TOOTHBRUSHL Application filed February This invention relates to tooth brushes of the rotatable type. 7

A general object of the invention is to provide a device of the general type referred to in which the rotatable brush member is Supported adjacent both ends for elfective operation without lateral yielding.

The invention includes a brush guard -or shield member which protects the mouth from the action of portionsof the brush not directly engaged in cleansing the teeth. Y The guard member is ,equipped With a bearing support for the brush adjacent the free end thereof and provides a seat in which an end tnft on the brush operates for application to a local. and restricted .portionof the dental surface. f f

Another feature the invention resides in the provision of a simple and effectiveactus ating mechanism for the brush shaft, the mechanism forming part of a handle member and inrovided with' a guard member for preventing engagement of the actuating mechanism with the lips or face of the user.

Other `features of the invention Will, be hereinafter referred to. k

the drawings, in which a preferred ein-V bodiinent of the invention has been selected for illustration, i

Figure lis a 'view in longitudinal section of a tooth brush embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a side vienT partly in section of the device shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vievv in cross-section taken on the line BMS of Figure 1. y

,Figure et is a sectional'vieivtalen on the line l-l of Figure 1.v l

lligure is a sectional detail viewtakeu on the line 5--5 of Figure 6.

l? i gure 6- is a sectional detail.vieiv taken on line {3-G of Figure 5. f

lefeiring` to the drawings for a morede# tailed description of the invention, a. tooth cleaning device of the rotatable brushy type is shown. in which a frame member 10 ineludes an elongatedstein portion 11 having an elongated axial opening 12 therein to pro vide a housing for-a rotatable shaft 13 which is ournaled in the stein portion of the framework 10. rlhe frame member provides a l)caringsupport at 1416er the rear portion of the shaft 13 and a bearing support at 15 for a forward portion of the shaft. I

The rotatable shaftV 13 is providedl at its rearward endl with a toothed pinion 16 through which the shaft may be rotatedv and i6, igeal serial No. 9,4711.

at its forward end with a chuck member 17 for engaging and rotating the stems of rotatable brushe's which may be engaged therein.

At the rear portion of the stem v11 the frame .member is expanded into a shield or guard member 1 8 Which has rounded and smooth outer surface particularly designedfto lprevent injury to the lips or face of the user of the device. "lhe guard v18 provides valso a partial rlioaising or easing for operating mechanism employed to rotatev the shaft 13 and the brush member operated thereby. VThe operating mechanism referred to Consists of pair of levers 1.9 pivotally mounted at 2O `adjacent the ends ofrear\vardly eX- tending support or bracket members 21 pref-k erably formed integrally With the frame member 10. rllhe levers r19 are normally,`

Amoved to and held in'positions separated from each other tov their maximum extent by' means of a spring device 22 mounted on the pivot pin 20 and engaging the inner surfaces f of the levers 19 as is clearly vshown in Fig-y ures 1 and 2 ofthe drawing. rlhe levers 19 at their forward ends are provided With angular extensions 23 which project 'toward and into overlapping engagement with each other and in flanking engagement with the toothed s pinion 16 formed on the rearward end of the y rotatable drive shaft 13. The angular ex-A tensions 23 of the levers19 are toothed or .serrated on their pinion engaging surfaces so as to operate the pinion in the movement of the members 23Which produced by the under pressure of the hand of the user, or of the separation of the levers 19 vunder the closing of the levers 19 toward each other action of the spring 22. ln order to prevent disengagenient of the toothedr members 23 from the pinion 16 the members 23 are provided ivithlongitudinal slots 24111 which pins 25 carried by the members 23 engage. lt will be seen that with this arrangementeac'h member-23risiprovided at its extremity with a pin 25 which engages and slides in the slot 24 in the other member thereby ypreventing separation ofthe parts and guiding the movement of the parts in operation.

The for ard end of the frame member l0 is provided with a. hollovved-out guard member 26 which has an elongated extension open along one side thereofas is clearly shown-in Figure 1 of thefdraivings. Viithin the guard member 2G a rotatable brush 27 isadapted tov be mounted, the extending end 28 of the stein u of the brush being` adapted to be fitted into,v

the chuck member 17 forming the adjacent eX- tieniity of the rotatable shaft 13.

lin order to facilitate the operation-of the brush 27 and arovide ade uate su inert therel i i Ylfor in operation7 the guard member 2G is provided with a septum or partition wall 29 adjacent the forward extremity thereof. The

partition member 29 provides a bearino sup-- port for a forward portion oit the shaf t or stem oi"'tliebrush 27ers `iss-clearly shown in FigureV 2 ofthe drawing.' For thispurposethe partition 29' is provided with a shaft receiving recess 3() into which theshaft of the'brush may-be placed.- clip or holding member 31 pivoted at 3201i tliemei-iiber 29 may be swunginto and out oi Alocking'relation to the j recess BOto hold theshaft thereinor to i'enieniber?) therein. @Vith this construction a protrudingtuiit 33 of brush bristles is pro-g vided Yfoi-*local application-to a restricted portion of the Vdental surfaces.

TWith the construction described the brush members 27 may loe-readily interchanged'as desired or removed 'from tlieir position wi thiii-the'guard member 2G to'provide access to the parts for cleansing,` thereof.

In operation a brush member 27 is placed in positionwithin the operatingcliuclr 1T and inv tlie bearing; recess o0; The lever members 19 "are then'ultimately pressed toward each other to cooperate with the spring221in the oscillation orreciprocation of the toothed members 28 to produce correspondingl alternate rotation ofthe brush member 2i ata relbrush hai/ingaan endltuiit, guard extending i longitudinally of the brush'aiidopen along one side thereoi said guard being-'provided with a bearing` support adjacent eachend ofv the brush, one end of the guard''lRirniinl a seat, and the 'tufted extremity of said brush operating iii said seat outside tli'eadjacent bearing` support', said brush guard being open at its outer extremity to p eiiiiit the protrusion or the tufted extreii'iity oi the brush therevthrough,r and said brush being removably iiiounted for withdrawal laterally roin'it's. 1position in the outer end of said guardv andV longitudinally i'roin its position in the other end.l j 2.V In atoothbrushioiE the rotatable type,-

a frame, a cylindrical brush mounted on astem and having an end tutt', a brush guard extendingfrom said iraiiie longitudinally ofi the brush, partially encircling the-same and having4 an open end through which said end tutt. protrudes,v a bearing `seat iii-thewbrush` guard at apoiiit spacece short distance fromI the open end to ali'ord afbearing` support for the outer portion oll the stem ofsaid brush, and means to engage with the inner endfof'the stein for' rotating the said brush.

Signed at Newl York, in the county and State of New York, this 23rd day of Jan# iiary,V 1925. l j VILSON W; WEER; 

